For decades blue crab harvests have risen and fallen, most likely in concert with climate and other factors we still do not fully understand. Since the 1990's, however, concern has grown that pressure on the blue crab - both commercial and recreational - may be too high. State agencies such as the Maryland Department of Natural Resources and the Virginia Marine Resources Commission, along with bi-state groups such as the Bi-state Blue Crab Advisory Committee and the Chesapeake Bay Stock Assessment Committee, have focused their efforts on trying to understand the current status of Bay blue crab stocks, and to what degree they may be in danger of overexploitation.